Bits + Pieces

Vibrant garden snack.

Perfect for cutting, but I can't bring myself to do it.

Romantic twinkle lights for all of our bug friends.

Roasting marshmallows (waaay after bedtime!) on July 4th.

Her favorite "job" is sorting socks.

Bear Mountain State Park. 

Peas, please.

Waiting for two more baby teeth to fall out. 

My littles think jumping from the top step is MOST fun.

The two year old is no exception!

 

He goes under, gets splashed, and swims his heart out.

Driving range!

As soon as Ollie stops chasing balls we'll get him a stall, too.

Buby and Bleu made all these tie-dye shirts last summer. M-E-S-S-Y!

I fell in love with a guy with wild hair and a ridiculously long tongue.

And now we have three children with wild hair and long tongues :-)

Who goes blueberry picking in 95-degree heat?

We do. Oops.

Girlie.

I cut the roses just once... for our wonderful teachers.

Bleu looking back at the zoo.

Happy birthday, Sydney.

 

First day of summer vacation: I try to teach the "art of doing nothing."

Buby is not buying it. He wants fireworks on Everest.

I don't do beets, but I hear ours are delish.

 

Local organic blueberries.  

We picked 3.5 pounds!

Best smile.

I cannot imagine Bleu NOT having these girls in her life.  

Ella's "Grandma" Judy holds a cicada.

Bear Mountain State Park.

Running wild.

Fresh greens.

For My Sweets: Randi's lemon-berry mascarpone cupcake.

Road trips: The littlest still hasn't decided if he's all in.

I have not forgotten about this itty bitty blog of mine. I've really missed posting, but summer days are more C-R-A-Z-Y than lazy for us, and there just aren't enough late-night hours. Plus, I'm still dealing with the same (grrrr) tech issue: I take an excess of (large!) photos with my Canon 60D, and once I upload to my laptop the start-up disc is too full to perform basic functions. I'm constantly playing this game of saving, copying, deleting. So rather than blogging at midnight I've been mindlessly folding laundry and watching American Pickers reruns with Tom. And instead of taking the time to learn my real camera I've clung to my trusty iPhone. Love the iPhone but super limited.

A few notes on summer so far: Last day of school (so proud!); end-of-year gym/dance recital (success!); last day of soccer (total bust!); Ella's zoo party; Indigo and Phoenix's combo party; a long weekend exploring Portland, ME; slow mornings and pretend play; hikes with Jonas; Sydney's pool party; our annual week at Cape May Beach; first summer ballet class; picking berries, peas, beans, carrots, beets, and lettuce from our garden; Ollie becomes a seasoned cannonball-er; Bleu swims underwater; Buby skims the bottom for treasures; fireworks; farm stands; blueberry picking; stopping at the driving range; eating guacamole; hosting a "Cousins Weekend"; last-minute Bronx Zoo excursion; dance parties, appointments; mini adventures; coffee + chocolate.

Although the weeks have flown by the individual days can feel long. Running simple errands takes extra time and patience in summer, and I can tell Ollie really misses having me to himself for part of the day-- now that everyone is together 24/7. He's been a mixed bag of toddler defiance (instigating trouble with older siblings) and extreme attachment.

I'm looking forward to the next month, which is set to include: A "Girls Night" in Manhattan with my friend Sara; more ballet on Wednesdays; a week of golf camp for Buby; intensive potty training; two dinner parties; a few summer concerts; a long awaited play date with Grace + Ben; a Provincetown, MA road trip with another (awesome!) family of 5; a visit to the Hudson Valley Whole Life Center; a week in Rochester visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins; more picnics under shady trees; quirky festivals; weekend guests; horseback riding lessons for Bleu; some PTO prep work; and (I hope!) one or two date nights for me and Tom.